Sign and method of making the same



April 8, 1952 H. G; BUCK 2,591,779

SIGN AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 13, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET lI April 8, 1952 H. GfBucK 2,591,779

SIGN AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed April 15, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2sign is to be displayed, with said sheets adapted to be readily removedwithout disturbing the applied sign characters.

With the foregoing objects in view, together with such other objects andadvantages as may subsequently appear, the invention resides in theparts and in the combination, construction and arrangement of partshereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated by way of example inthe accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a piece of composite sheet stock from whichare made sign character units embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a sign unitembodying the present invention and which has been cut from the stockmaterial shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1also on the line 33 of Fig. 2 showing the layers of the sheet materialand the adhesive layers or coatings employed in the making of the stockmaterial and sign character units respectively shown in Figs. 1 and 3;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the sign character unit with theprotective back cover element removed to prepare the unit forapplication;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing how the unit may beapplied to the surface of asign support and how the carrier element isremoved after the reflective sign character is adhered to the signsupport;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing how a plurality of reflective signcharacters may be applied and adhered to a carrier sheet in the firststep of my improved method of making a complete sign unit;

.Fig. 7 is a top plan view showing how a masking sheet is applied to thereflective characters and carrier sheet in the second step of the methodof making a complete sign;

Fig.8 is a side view of the complete sign unit as when attached to asign support on which the reflective sign characters of the unit are tobe adhered, with the unit swung upwardly so that a rubber cement coatingmay be applied to the sign unit area of the support;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary front elevational view showing how the completesign unit is swung backagainst the support after the operation indieatedin Fig. 8 is completed, to adhere the masking sheet to the support;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line I I0 of Fig. 9 on anenlarged scale;

Fig; 11 is a fragmentary sectional view showing how the carrier sheetwith the reflective sign characters thereon is separated from themasking sheet and lifted up to make possible the application of anadhesive substance to the sign support surfaces which are exposedthrough stencil openings in the masking sheet;

Fig. 12 is a side elevational view showing how the carrier sheet withthe reflective sign characters thereon is swung down against the maskingsheet .to adhere the sign characters to the adhesive coated surfaces ofthe sign support after the operation indicated in Fig. 11 is completed;

Fig. 13is a fragmentary perspective view showing how the masking sheetand the carrier sheet are removed after the sign characters are adheredto the sign support;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of typical core pieces cut out in makingthe stencil openings in the masking sheet;

Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken on the plane of line ll5 of Fig. 6with themake-up board 4 or table omitted and showing how the core piecefor sign character A is fitted thereto; and

Fig. 16 is a sectional view in perspective of an enlarged fragmentaryportion of the reflective sign character as seen from the front thereof.

It should be noted that since the introduction on the market of acertain reflective material which is produced in comparatively thinsheets, the use of this material in making signs particularly signs onmotor vehicles and along streets and highways, has become singularlypopular due to the fact that such material has greater durability thanpaints and like coatings, is obtainable in various colors and will glowas though illuminated from behind or within under the influence of lightbeams directed thereon, for

example, as from the head lights of motor vehicles, although, light fromother sources when the signs are viewed from certain angles will alsocause the signs to glow. Moreover this material in being extremely thinappears as though painted on and lies as close to the supporting surfacetherefor as though painted thereon. The reflective quality of thismaterial is brought about by the presence on the display surface of thematerial of a multiplicity of minute bead-like particles of glass orthe'like arranged in closely spaced relation to one another and byreason of other factors embodied in the construction and formation ofthe material, it being deemed unnecessary to further describe thematerial as it is available on the open market and its qualities arewell known. Y

In accordance With one embodiment of this invention, letters, numeralsor other sign characters are formed from laminated sheet stockdesignated S which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, consists of a cardboardor stiff paper carrier sheet l4 laid upon a sheet [5 of the aforesaidreflective material which latter overlies a sheet I6 of cellophane orlike extremely thin plastic material. The reflective surface l5 of thesheet [.5 and the opposed surface of the cardboard sheet [4 have appliedthereon coatings I! of rubber cement to adhere the said sheets to oneanother. On the back of the reflective sheet I5 is a coating l8 of anadhesive substance of greater tenacity than the rubber cement coatingsand which is covered by the sheet iii. The sheets l4, l5 and I6 being ofthe same-dimensions except as to thickness are adhered to one another asindicated in Fig. 3 and are then ready to have the sign characters cuttherefrom. The dotted lines showing I!) in Fig. 1 indicate how varioussign characters may be cut from the laminated stock material. Theopening 20 in the stock material as shown in Fig. 1 indicates that thesign character unit letter D shown in Fig. 2 has been cut therefrom.This sign character unit designated A is shown greatly enlarged in Fig.2 and consists of identically shaped portions of the three sheets I4, l5and I6 superimposed in marginal alignment and which are also designatedby the reference characters l4, l5 and It to avoid confusion. Thus thecardboard portion is the carrier element It for the reflective signcharacter I5 While the portion of the cellophane sheet is the protectivecover element 15.

The cardboard carrier element l4 reinforces and facilitates safehandling and accurate application of the reflective sign character [5 toany sign displaying or supporting surface and in addition protects thereflective or display face- P5 of said character so that the latter maybe a packed and shipped without likelihood'of being damaged. i

As here shown thesheet l of reflective material making up the stock Shas the coating I8 of highly tenacious adhesive applied thereto andcovered by the cellophane or other thin plastic protective sheet l6before the cardboard carrier sheet [4 is adhered to the reflective faceof the reflective sheet [5. This cellophane or other plastic sheet i6 istreated so that when dry will adhere to and protect adhesive coating l8but when moistened will be released and can be readily pulled free ofthe adhesive coating.

Fig. 4 shows how the sign character unit A is prepared for use, thecellophane cover element [6 having been removed to expose the adhesivecoating 18 on the back of the sign character l5. After this thereflective sign character I5 may be "applied as shown in Fig. 5 whilethe cardboard carrier element 14 is adhered thereto, to a signsupporting means such as the member B, the highly tenacious adhesive I3on the back of the sign character l5 having the'quality of sticking fastimmediately after it contacts the surface of member B on which the signis to be displayed. Pressure is now applied to the unit by means of aroller or other device not shown to cause an even and effectiveadherence. of the sign character and thereafter the cardboard carrierelement I4 is lifted free of the sign character I5. Due to the fact thatthe adhesive it has greater tenacity than the rubber cement it isapparent that the carrier element l4 may readily be lifted from the signcharacter i5 without shifting, or disturbing the latter in any manner.In this manner, letters, numerals or other sign characters may in thecomposite form shown inFigs. 2 and 3 safely be handled with ease andaccurately applied to a sign surface in a particularly efficaciousmanner which would not be possible without the cardboard or like carrierelements of my invention and the manner in which they are associatedwith the sign characters.

- It should be noted that in some instances the sheet l5 ofreflectivematerial without the coating [8 and cellophane sheet 16thereon may be adhered to the cardboard sheet 14 by means of the rubbercement coating to form the laminated stock material from which signcharacter units may be cut; In such case the sign units consisting ofjust the sign characters of reflective material and the cardboardcarrier elements will behandled in the same mamier as previouslydescribed, the highly tenacious adhesive being applied before the unitis to be applied to a sign supporting surface. Once this sign characteris adhered, the cardboard may be readily removed in the same manner aspreviously described without disturbing the sign character. The onlydifference between this form of my invention and the form previouslydescribed is that the first form has the adhesive of greater tenacityapplied and covered with cellophane before the characters are cut fromthe laminated stock material whereas in this form the adhesive isapplied after the cut out sign unit is ready for use, it being notedthat the ultimate results are the same.

Another embodiment'of this invention as shown in Figs. 6 to 15inclusive, relates to the preparation and application of completepreformed signs made up of a plurality of reflective sign characters 22cut from sheets of the aforesaid refiective material and held in a givenpattern present means of a paper or like carrier sheet 23 and, a"

similar masking sheet 24.

One practicable method of producing this pre-- formed complete sign isas follows:

The sign characters 22 of reflective material each having a coating ofrubber cement indicated at 25 on the reflective faces thereof are laidface up in a predetermined sign pattern on a forming board or table D asshown in Fig. 6. It should be noted at this point that the masking sheet24 is made like a stencil with openings 26 thereon corresponding inshape to the letters or characters 22, it being preferable that the samedies employed for cutting the sign characters 22 be used for making thestencil cuts or openings 26 in the masking sheet. In making thesestencil cuts in the masking sheet 24 to correspond to certain signcharacters, pieces of the masking sheet are detached or out free of thesheet as for example the triangular core or center portions of thestencil cut representing the letter A, also the core portion of the cutrepresenting the letter B, which core portions are designated 28.

After the sign characters 22 are placed in proper order on the board ortable D the separated core pieces cut out in making the stencillike masksheet 24 such as the pieces 28, having rubber cement coatings on bothfaces thereof are fltted in proper place in the characters '22.

The rubber cement may be applied in any manner to the display faces ofthe sign characters 22 and to both faces of the core pieces which arefitted in the said characters, provided the rear faces or backs of thesign characters 22 remain uncoated with the rubber cement.

Next the carrier sheet 23 is applied preferably by a rolling-onoperation as indicated in Fig. 6, to overlie the sign characters 22, thesurface of said carrier sheet opposite said characters having a coating29 of rubber cement thereon whereby the characters 22 and the corepieces 28 will be adhered to the carrier sheet. After applying pressureas by means of a roller or the like not shown, the characters 22 and thecore pieces 28 become adhered to the carrier sheet 23. Next the carriersheet is lifted and turned over to the characters on the then upper sideof the carrier sheet with the backs of the characters exposed as shownin Fig. '7 so that the masking sheet 24 may be applied in the samemanner as the carrier sheet. The masking sheet formed with stencilopenings 26 corresponding in shape to the sign characters 22, hasapplied thereto a rubber cement coating 3!] which coacts with the rubbercement coating 29 on the then exposed face of the carrier sheet so thatwhen the masking sheet is fitted over the characters 22 as indicated inFig. '1 it will be adhered to the carrier sheet but will not be adheredto the characters 22 which are free from cement coatings on their backsand lie free within the stencil openings 26.

After applying pressure as by means of a roll--- er not shown, to themasking sheet to effect proper adherence thereof to the carrier sheet,the sign in Figs. 8 and 9 and may be rolled up or handled as a sheet orpacked or stored in roll or'sheet, form until ready for use or it may beimmediate. ly applied to transfer the desired sign to a' selected signsupporting surface.

'Thepresent invention also includes .a novel application to a signsupport, such unit is complete and appears as shown method of applyingthe aforesaid complete sign unit wherein the first step as shown in Fig.8 requires that the unit be hinged as by means of a strip of adhesivetape 33 to a support or member C on the surface of which the signcharacters 22 are to be applied, with the masking sheet 24 opposite saidsurface.

Next, the sign unit is lifted up as shown in Fig. 8 and so held in anysuitable manner so that the surface of the sign support C thereunder mayhave a coating of rubber cement applied over the sign unit area thereofafter which the sign unit is swung back to lie against said coatedsurface as shown in Fig. 9. The exposed surface of the masking sheet iseither covered with rubber cement before the masking sheet is applied asshown in Fig. 7 or while this surface is exposed as shown in Fig. 8 andin either case the sheet will become adhered to the rubber cement coatedsurface of the sign support when the unit is swung down and pressedagainst the sign support as shown in Fig. 9. This causes the maskingsheet to firmly adhere to the sign supporting surface.

Next the carrier sheet 23 with the sign characters 22 thereon areseparated from the masking sheet 24 and swung upward as shown in Fig.11. It should here be noted that fresh rubber cement has greatertenacity than rubber cement which has been previously applied andallowed to stand for a while. Therefore as the cement on the signsupporting member C is fresh whereas the cement holding the maskingsheets to the carrier sheet is older, the separation of the carriersheet from the masking sheet may be effected without lifting ordisturbing the latter. For the same reason the stencil cores 28 willstick to the fresh cement on the surface 0 remaining in.

proper position in the stencil openings 26 rather than remaining adheredto the carrier sheet 23, thus leaving perfect stencil formations in themask for applying the special highly tenacious adhesive substanceaforementioned to those parts of the surface of the member C which areexposed through the stencil openings 26 in the masking sheet. Next theaforesaid special adhesive having greater tenacity than the rubbercement is sprayed or otherwise applied to those parts of the member 0exposed through the stencil openings 25 in the mask, after the operatorrubs off from said exposed parts the rubber cement which has previouslybeen applied to the surfaceof the member C.

After the highly tenacious adhesive is applied as aforesaid, the carriersheet 23 with the sign characters 22 thereon is swung downwardly to fitthe characters into the stencil openings 26 in the masking sheet 24 andadhere them to the surface of member C. Pressure is applied as by meansof a roller (not shown) to assure uniform and effective adherence of thesign characters to the member C following which the carrier sheet andthe masking sheet are lifted and removed as indicated in Fig. 13,thereby leaving the sign characters attached to the member C. The corepieces 28 will remain in the sign characters but may be readily liftedout with the fingers or by means of a suitable instrument. In thisconnection it should be noted that if desired the cores 28, if made ofthe aforesaid reflective material having a different color than thecharacters 22, can be adhered by suitable cement to the member C thusproducing a fanciful color arrangement in the sign.

It should be noted that while this invention deals primarily with signsmade of the aforesaid reflective material it may be carried out toadvantage in the manner hereinbefore pointed out with any other sheetmaterial which has properties corresponding to those of the reflectivesheet material except as to being reflective.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention Ido not limit myself to the exact details of construction set forth, andthe invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents ofthe parts and their formation and arrangement as come within the purviewof the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a preformed sign unit, a reflective sign character made ofcomparatively thin and flexible sheet material and having on one sidethereof a reflective display surface and having a strong adhesive on theother side thereof, said char-' acter being provided on said displaysurface with a coating of an adhesive which requires contact with a likecoating in order that two parts coated with such adhesive be removablyadhered to one another, a carrier element for reinforcing andfacilitating the handling of said character having thereon a coating ofthe same adhesive substance as on the sign character removably adheringsaid element and said character to one another, and a protectivecovering sheet adhered to the strong adhesive on the sign characteradapted to be stripped free from said sign character without detachingor otherwise disturbing the latter; said sign character, carrierelement, and protective covering sheet being identically shaped andsuperimposed in marginal alignment with each other.

2. In a preformed sign unit, a sign character made of thin and flexiblesheet material and having a reflective display surface on one sidethereof, there being a coating of rubber cement on the display surfaceside of said character and a coating on the other side of said characterof an adhesive substance having greater tenacity than said rubber cementcoating and the quality of adhering fast to the sign-supporting surfaceto which the sign character is to be adhered, and a carrier element forreinforcing and facilitating the handling of said sign character havinga coating of rubber cement on one side thereof contacting the rubbercement coating, on said sign character and adhering the character andthe carrier element to one another;

the relative tenacity of the rubber cement and said adhesive substancebeing such that once the character With the carrier elementthereon isadhered to said sign surface by means of said adhesive substance, thecarrierelement may be removed therefrom without disturbing said signcharacter.

3. In a preformed sign, a flexible carrier sheet,

a plurality of sign characters having backs and display surfaces withthe latter removably adhered to one side of said carrier sheet in apredetermined sign pattern by means of coatings of like adhesive, and aflexible masking sheet.

removably adhered by means of coatings of like adhesive to said carriersheet and having stencil openings thereon corresponding to the formation of said sign characters and the sign pattern formed thereby, withsaid sign characters nested in said openings so that the backs thereofare exposed for adherence to a sign-supporting surface on which thecomplete sign is to be displayed, the tenacity of the adhesive employedto adhere the sign characters to said carrier sheet and to adhere thecarrier and maskin sheets together being such that when the backs of thesign characters are adhered to the said sign-supporting surface by meansof an adhesive substance having greater tenacity, the carrier sheet andsaid masking sheet may be removed so as to leave the characters adheredto said sign supporting surface.-

4. In a preformed sign unit ready for application to a sign displayingsurface, a plurality of sign characters having frontal display surfacesand adhesive coating on the back faces thereof, a carrier sheet to whichsaid characters are removably adhered by means of applications of rubbercement of less tenacity than the adhesive on said back faces and madealike to the display surfaces of said characters and to one surface ofsaid carrier sheet, and a stencil sheet removably adhered to the othersurface of said carrier sheet by means of coacting applications ofrubber cement and in such manner that the backs of said characters arefully exposed in the stencil openings in said stencil sheet with saidcharacters separable from said carrier sheet through said stencilopenings after the characters have been adhered to a sign displayingsurface by means of the adhesive on said back faces. 5. The method ofmaking display signs wherein such signs are made up of a plurality ofseparate sign characters formed of pieces of extremely thin and flexiblematerial and have refiective frontal display surfaces, which methodconsists in arranging a plurality of the aforesaid sign characters in agiven sign pattern, adhering said characters to a carrier sheet so thatthey will be removably held thereon by means of applications of rubbercement on the display faces of said characters and on one surface ofsaid sheet respectively; and then removably adhering by means ofcoacting coatings of rubber cement, the other surface of carrier sheetto a stencil sheet in such manner that said sheets and characters becomea portable unit with the backs, of said characters being fully exposedin said stencil openings and said characters being subject to removalfrom said carrier sheet through said openings, then adhering saidcharacters to a sign displaying surface by means of an adhesivesubstance having greater tenacity than the rubber cement which adheresthe characters to the carrier sheet removing said carrier sheet and saidstencil sheet after said characters are adhered to said sign displayingsurface.

6. The method of making a display sign unit ready for application to asign supporting surface wherein said sign is made up of separate signcharacters formed of pieces of thin and flexible material having frontaldisplay surfaces and provided on their rear faces with an adhesivecoating having the quality of permanently adhering the charactersimmediately after applicationof such adhesive coated faces thereof to asign supporting surface, which method consists in arranging a pluralityof the aforesaid sign characters in a sign pattern; removably adheringsaid characters of said pattern to a carrier sheet by means ofapplications of rubber cement made alike on the display surfaces of saidcharacters and on one surface of said sheet respectively, then removablyadhering a stencil sheet by means of coatings of rubber cement to theother surfaces of said carrier sheet, with the rear faces of saidcharacters fully exposed in the stencil openings of the stencil sheetfor application to a surface for displaying the sign characters.

7. The method of applying a completed sign unit to a sign supportingsurface wherein said sign unit consists of a series of sign charactersarranged in a predetermined sign pattern and removably held by anadhesive substance on a carrier sheet and wherein a stencil sheet isremovably adhered to said carrier sheet with the signcharacters disposedin the stencil opening and the backs of said sign characters exposed forapplication to a sign supporting surface on which the characters are tobe permanently affixed; which method consists in hinging the sign unitto the sign supporting surface on which the sign characters are to bedisplayed, by means of a piece of flexible adhesive tape applied alongthe top edge of the sign unit and to said surface respectively, thenlifting the complete sign unit upwardly away from said surface andapplying to the sign unit area of the sign supporting surface and to theexposed surface of the stencil sheet like rubber cement coatings, thenswinging the sign unit back against said surface to adhere the stencilsheet thereto, then swinging the carrier sheet together with the signcharacters upwardly from said stencil sheet, then applying to saidexposed portions of said surface an adhesive substance having a greater.tenacity than said rubber cement coatings, then swinging the carriersheet downwardly to apply the characters thereon against said adhesivecovered surfaces exposed through said stencil openings and applyingpressure to adhere the sign characters to said sign display surface,then removing said adhesive strip by which the sign unit is hinged tosaid surface, then removing said carrier and stencil sheet in the ordernamed so as to leave the characters adhered to the sign displayingsurface.

HOMER G. BUCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

